Just as the city was starting to wake up, Hyderabad revealed itself to a rare sight on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) morning. At 7 am, two hot air balloons took off slowly from Gandhipet’s Jalamandali Park, carrying their passengers above the city view, in what was a test flight ahead of the hot air balloon festival to be held from January 16 to 18. The flight duration lasted for about an hour covering 12 kilometers and landed in Osman Nagar at around 8.

10 pm. This reporter was one of the passengers on the flight organized by Telangana Tourism as part of the preparatory exercise before the festival opens to the public.

Unlike conventional aviation, there was no fixed runway or landing strip. Once airborne, the balloon swept with the wind, its final landing point determined by real-time weather conditions rather than a predetermined destination.

This balloon landed after 20 minutes of flight. From above, the familiar geography of Hyderabad appeared calmer and more expansive.

Roads that usually carry traffic are sparse, while clusters of buildings merge into green spaces and water bodies. For pilots, flying was less about spectacle and more about orientation.

“The aim of the exercise was to help the pilots understand the city’s terrain, wind behavior and safe landing options before tourist flights begin this weekend,” said a Telangana Tourism official. Early morning launches allowed pilots to observe wind patterns at low altitudes, which play an important role in hot air ballooning.

Safety protocols, communication between ground crew and landing procedures were also part of the test. The three-day festival, to be held from January 16 to 18, is being positioned as an experiential tourism initiative that aims to add an adventure component to Hyderabad’s tourism portfolio.

Several balloons are expected to take to the sky from the Parade Ground, Secunderabad during the festival period, providing residents and visitors a new way to view the city.